I like to pretend that I am the disciple Jesus loved. Technically Jesus loves us, so if I am in fact His disciple maybe it’s not so much of a stretch? It sounds prideful but I think it’s more like play-acting. Like I’m a little kid dressing up in Dad’s shoes, wearing his coat and hat and holding his pipe in my teeth.
I pretend other things, too. I want to know what it’s like to be other people in situations I was never in or expect to be in the future. This is how I wish to live my life vicariously through all those people who harbor traits I notice and admire.
You see, when I see other people who I like more than myself, my mind goes to work trying to figure out how to “steal” that aspect of them. One thing I do to try to understand someone is to see if I can walk a mile with them – either in their shoes or as friends while they relay the story to me. If they are public figures, then I try to figure out what the highest level abstraction is that people see in that person. Are they seeing the love of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ, intellectual prowess, the peace the Holy Church can bring, or what, when they look at that person and want to keep looking – for example by leaving the TV tuned to them.
Here’s one of my strategies. I take other people’s stories and imagine myself in the place of the characters.
NOT john 19:
When Jesus saw his mother and Alan, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour Alan took her into his home.
Try it with your own name in there. If that weirds you out, take my advice from it.
Of course I stand up for my Mother. Christ gave me a mother to take care of and she lives in my house. That must mean that I am now officially His brother since we share the same mother. Even most criminals defend their worldly mothers against attack, and maintain close connections with them. How much more would we wish to defend our heavenly Mother?
I’m a sinner; does that make me a bit like a criminal? Now what is it you had to say about my Mother again?
Of course I try to remain charitable, but if it sounds like you wish to interfere with my relationship with my Mother, sometimes I get a little testy. For that I apologize in advance, but please don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Alan
